Painter/Artist: Madame Le Brun Vigee

French School. Marie Elisabeth Vigee, wife of the dealer Lebrun.

LONDON, NATIONAL GALLERY

PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST Half length, slightly to the right, the head full face in a broad-brimmed straw hat trimmed with flowers and a feather, and a low-cut dove-coloured silk dress trimmed with a ruched frill of white silk. Round her shoulders is a black silk scarf. The left arm rests on a parapet, the hand holding brushes and a set palette.

This very popular picture, purchased in 1897, is not included in the new catalogue.

PARIS, LOUVRE

THE ARTIST AND HER DAUGHTER Three-quarter length figure. The mother seated on a stool on the left, half to right, but full face. She embraces her child, who stands at her knee with her arm round her mother’s neck. Both are looking at us. The mother is in a white muslin dress which leaves her right shoulder bare, a red sash, and an olive-green mantle which falls over her knees. The child is in a plain blue robe.

Related posts:

The arts are fundamental to our humanity. They ennoble and inspire us—fostering creativity, goodness, and beauty. The arts help us express our values, build bridges between cultures, and bring us together regardless of ethnicity, religion, or age. When times are tough, art is salve for the ache.

An artist is somebody who produces things that people don’t need to have.
Andy Warhol